DOMINIC Rocco photo:nawawala’s tumbler
Raising the money to make indie films is a problem that filmmakers always wrestle with. But still they persist in what they do because they are happy with the results.
“No one is paid their worth in indie films,” said Marie Jamora, director of “Ang Nawawala” (What Isn’t There), an entry to the 2012 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. “Everyone works for a fraction of their [just fees]. We are lucky that our cast and crew agreed to do this.”
For the past seven years, the Cinemalaya Foundation has been giving P1-million grants to first-time filmmakers like Jamora under its New Breed category.
Jamora said the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) has also agreed to subsidize her project.
“But this is still not enough,” she stressed. “I wish that more grants, patrons of the arts, or executive producers would support more indie projects.”
“Ang Nawawala” is the story of Gibson Bonifacio who stopped speaking as a child. At age 20 he comes home to Manila from his studies abroad—his first in three years—and discovers his family. He also reunites with his childhood best friend and finds a chance at his first real romantic relationship.
Dominic Rocco leads the cast. The film also features his brother Felix, as well as Alchris Galura, Annicka Dolonius, Mercedes Cabral, Kelvin Yu, Jenny Jamora, Marc Abaya, Sabrina Man, Boboy Garrovillo and Dawn Zulueta.
Jamora said conflicting work schedules of cast members was another challenge: “Their schedules were daunting. To maneuver actors belonging to various networks and working on different teleseryes was a juggling act that our assistant directors had to master.”
For many years, Jamora said, she had been working on the idea for the story. “I think I was fascinated with the idea of a traumatized protagonist,” she said. “I made a draft in (writer-director) Uro dela Cruz’s class, and then another when I was in Columbia University film school. The first draft had older characters and was more violent. The second had younger characters. It wasn’t even set in the Philippines.”
Last year, on New Year’s Eve, Jamora asked writer Ramon de Veyra to help her with the third draft. “This was because it was my resolution to finally do the film. He helped form the entire story and, together over a few months, we made the script into what it is now.”
Jamora, who is making her first full-length film, said she has never been happier in her life than on the set. “I took communications in college and went to film school so I could make movies, but only got the courage to make one now,” she explained. “If I had known then how happy I would be now, I would have done this a long time ago.”
The young director added: “Even if I lack sleep, I am psyched on the set because my dreams are literally coming true in front of my eyes. I most definitely will be making more films in the future. To paraphrase the (American hip-hop group) Beastie Boys: Making a film is so awesome, you have to do more ‘because you can’t, you won’t, and you don’t stop.’”
The Cinemalaya fete will be held July 20-29 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Pasay City and at selected theaters at Greenbelt Mall in Makati City and TriNoma Mall in Quezon City.
E-mail mcruz@inquirer.com.ph